LIBRARY 


OF  THE 


I 


MASSACHUSETTS 
AGRICULTURAL 
COLLEGE 


73 

5m-12-'29.  ^     Bll 
— V.l 


1880-1^93 


DATE  DUE 

UNIVERSITY   LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

AT 

AMHERST 


i^UbLications 

OF  THE 

Massachusetts  Societv  for  Promoting  AckicuLTURE 


AN  ESSAY 


ON 


''  ^be  prceervation  of  IRoabeibe  Zvcee  anb  tbc 
llmprovement  of  public  (Brounbs/' 

I  DELIVERED  IN  THE  FARMERS'  MEETING  COURSE  IN  BOSTON, 

j  BY   JAMES    DRAPER,   A   MEMBER    OF    THE    WORCESTER 

I  PARKS   COMMISSION. 


"  Woodman,  spare  that  tree ; 

Touch  not  a  single  bougli ; 
In  youth  it  sheltered  me, 

And  I'll  protect  it  now. 
'Twas  my  forefather's  hand 

That  placed  it  near  his  cot; 
There,  Woodman,  let  it  stand, 

Thy  axe  shall  harm  it  not." 


_  The  incident  that  gave  thought  to  the  poem  of  which  the  above 
IS  the  opening  stanza  is  familiar  to  many  ;  yet  in  a  word  I  will  al- 
lude to  it  as  emphasizing  the  importance  of  considering  and  acting 
upon  the  problem  suggested  as  the  topic  of  our  discussion  "  The 
Preservation  of  Road-side  Trees,"  etc.  ' 

In  the  year  1837  George  P.  Morris,  of  New  York,  while  driving 
with  a  friend  along  the  lane  that  led  to  his  early  home  in  that  por- 
tion of  New  York  City  know  as  Bloomingdale,  discovered  a  man 
with  axe  in  hand,  about  to  fell  to  the  ground  an  aged  and  noble  oak 
that  had  been  planted  by  his  grandfather,  before  he  was  born  and 
under  whose  shade,  for  many  years,  with  parents  and  sisters,  he 
had  spent  many  happy  hours. 

Touched  to  the  heart  at  the  thought  of  the  demolition  of  this 
historic  tree,  he  first  tried  to  persuade  the  owner  to  desist  from  his 
purpose,  without  avail,  and  then  he  negotiated  with  him,  on  the 
payment  of  a  sum  equal  in  value  to  the  wood  and  timber  the  tree 
would  make,  and  going  into  the  old  homestead,  he  took  paper  drew 
up  a  bond  for  him  to  sign,  stipulating  that  as  long  as  the  property 
remained  in  his  possession,  or  that  of  his  family,  that  ''old  oak" 
should  never  be  disturbed. 

That  this  feeling  of  veneration  for  these  noble  roadside  trees  has 
not  died  out  IS  evinced  by  the  interest  taken  by  those  lovers  of  trees 
who  have  been  instrumental  in  securing  a  legislative  enactment  for 
the  preservation  of  roadside  trees  in  this  state. 

The  law  as  it  now  stands  is  as  follows  : 

"Chapter  196  of  the  Acts  of  1890,  as  amended  by  chapter  49  of 
the  Acts  of  1891  and  chapter  147  of  the  Acts  of  1892 


"Section  1.  The  mayor  and  aldermen  of  ^cities  and  the  select' 
men  of  towns  within  the  Commonwealth  are  hereby  authorized  to 
designate  and  preserve,  as  hereinafter  provided  in  this  act,  trees 
within  the  limits  of  the  highways  for  the  purposes  of  ornament  and 
shade ;  and  to  so  designate  not  less  than  one  such  tree  in  every 
thirty-three  feet  where  such  trees  are  growing  and  are  of  a  diameter 
of  one  inch  or  more. 

''Sect.  2.  Said  mayor  and  aldermen  and  selectmen  shall,  at  such 
seasons  of  the  year  as  they  deem  proper,  designate  such  trees  as  are 
selected  by  them  for  the  purposes  set  forth  in  this  act,  by  driving 
into  the  same,  at  a  point  not  less  than  four  nor  more  than  six  feet 
from  the  ground  and  on  the  side  towards  the  centre  of  the  highway, 
a  nail  or  spike  with  a  head  with  the  letter  M  plainly  impressed 
upon  it ;  said  nails  and  spikes  to  be  procured  and  furnished  by  the 
secretary  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture  to  said  mayor  and  alder- 
men and  selectmen  as  required  by  them  for  the  purposes  of  this  act. 
Said  mayor  and  aldermen  and  selectmen,  at  such  seasons  of  the 
year  as  they  deem  proper,  shall  renew  such  of  said  nails  and  spikes 
as  shall  have  been  destroyed  or  defaced ;  and  shall  also  designate, 
in  the  same  manner  as  hereinbefore  stated,  such  other  trees  as  in 
their  judgment  should  be  so  designated  to  carry  out  the  require- 
ments of  this  act. 

"Sect.  3.  Whoever  wantonly  injures,  defaces  or  destroys  any 
tree  thus  designated,  or  any  of  said  nails  or  spikes  affixed  to  such 
trees,  shall  forfeit  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  one  hundred 
dollars,  to  be  recovered  by  complaint,  one-half  to  the  complainant 
and  one-half  to  the  use  of  the  town  wherein  the  offence  was  com- 
mitted. 

"Sect.  4.  This  act  shall  not  apply  to  ornamental  or  shade  trees 
whose  preservation  is  now  provided  for  by  chapter  fifty -four  of  the 
Public  Statutes  and  the  acts  amendatory  thereof." 

The  requisite  nails  or  spikes  have  been  procured  by  the  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  and  he  is  now  prepared  to  furnish 
them,  on  request  of  selectmen  of  towns  or  mayor  and  aldermen  of 
cities,  for  the  purposes  set  forth  in  the  act  above  mentioned. 

I  am  aware  that  action  has  been  taken  but  in  a  very  few  instances 
as  yet  by  the  town  or  city  officials  in  carrying  out  the  provisons  of 
this  act.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that 
the  initative  steps  in  this  work  be  taken  at  once  by  defining  some 
uniform  method  of  procedure  and  to  designate  what  varieties  of 
trees  it  is  most  desirable  to  have  preserved,  and  where,  within  these 
roadside  limits,  the  same  will  be  best  protected  from  injury. 

The  new  law  clearly  defines  the  proper  authorities  entrusted  with 
this  work.  The  Board  of  Selectmen  in  the  several  towns,  and  in 
the  case  of  our  cities  tlie  Parks  Commission,  would  seem  to  me  to 
be  the  proper  authorities. 

WHAT    trees    to    PRESERVE. 

The  white  oak,  American  white  beech,  rock  or  sugar  maples, 
American  white  elm  (when  space  is  ample),  and  American  white 
ash  seem  to  me  to  be  the  most  desirable. 


The  objection  to  the  red  oak  and  basswood  or  linden  is  their  sus- 
ceptibility to  the  attack  of  the  borer ;  the  poplars  and  white  or  red 
maples,  their  liability  to  injury  or  wreckage  by  ice  storms.  The 
red  or  slippery  elm,  if  discovered  by  traveling  man  or  boy  will  not 
escape  the  robbing  of  its  bark,  and  the  chestnut  and  walnut  become 
the  victims  of  severe  clubbing  and  injury  to  their  trunks,  by  pound- 
ing without  mercy  to  induce  a  few  stray  nuts  to  leave  their  snug 
quarters  before  being  ordered  out  by  the  autumnal  frosts. 

LOCATION    OF    TREES. 

But  two  positions  can  safely  be  agreed  upon  in  the  roadside  pres- 
ervation of  trees.  Either  they  must  be  in  close  proximity  to  the 
boundary  wall  or  fence,  or  far  enough  distant  therefrom  to  allow  a 
foot-walk  six  or  more  feet  between  the  trees  selected  and  the  boun- 
dary line. 

While  this  should  apply  to  the  trees  of  smaller  dimensions  which 
are  to  be  designated  for  preservation,  in  the  instance  of  an  occasional 
tree  which  may  be  found  between  these  lines,  that  have  reached 
nearly  to  their  maximum  height  and  bteadth,  the  owners  of  adja- 
cent land  would  do  honor  to  themselves  and  confer  blessings  upon 
posterity  by  giving  to  the  highway  sufficient  land  to  allow  a  foot- 
walk  on  one  side  and  an  ample  road-bed  in  the  line  of  travel  on  the 
other,  so  that  these  noble  "sons  of  the  forest"  may  be  fully  pre- 
served. 

Whenever  the  tree  to  be  preserved  can  be  found  standing  close 
to  the  boundary  lines,  the  chances  of  its  being  left  undisturbed  are 
far  greater  than  those  six  feet  or  more  distant  therefrom  when  they 
so  often  become  hitching-posts  for  careless  and  thoughtless  drivers, 
or  the  victims  of  barbarous  treatment  at  the  hands  of  road  repairers 
with  their  death-dealing  road  machines  or  ploughs  or  scrapers. 

While  we  have  alluded  thus  far  only  to  such  roadside  trees  as 
have  sprung  up  as  by  chance,  and  have  now  reached  sufficient  size 
to  be  designated  for  permanent  preservation,  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  note  the  plans  adopted  by  the  Worcester  Parks  Commission 
in  the  planting  of  shade  trees  on  the  city  thoroughfares  or  highways 
in  the  suburbs. 

In  the  city  proper  no  trees  are  planted  until  the  grades  of  the 
streets  have  been  permanently  established  by  the  city  engineer  and 
the  curbstones  placed  in  their  permanent  position. 

They  are  planted  eight  inches  inside  the  curb,  and  distant  from 
each  other  from  thirty-five  to  forty  feet. 

Where  trees  have  been  planted  under  these  directions  outside  the 
curbstone  limit  by  private  individuals,  they  recommend  a  distance 
of  forty  to  fifty  feet,  and  within  one  foot  of  the  wall  or  fence,  or 
either  six  or  seven  feet  distant  therefrom,  being  governed  some- 
what by  the  width  of  the  highway  where  the  trees  are  planted. 

While  this  work  of  planting  shade  trees  has  been  carried  on  very 
successfully  by  the  Commission  for  many  years,  and  over  ten  thou- 
sand trees  are  now  growing  in  a  thriving  condition,  their  greatest 
care  and  anxiety  now  is  their  preservation  from  injury  by  reckless 
drivers  of  all  kinds  of  vehicles,  and  their  utilization  as  hitching-posts 
for  horses  by  those  of  whom  better  things  should  be  expected* 


To  the  credit  of  the  irrepressible  small  boy  who  has  to  bear  such 
a  liberal  share  of  denunciation  in  these  matters,  be  it  said,  that  the 
injury  from  sharp-edged  tools  in  their  hands  is  very  meagre  in  com- 
parison with  the  destruction  wrought  by  the  teeth  of  hungry 
horses.  Tree-guards  of  the  strongest  construction  which  are  from 
seven  to  eight  feet  in  height  are  found  of  little  avail  where  a  hungry 
horse  is  bent  on  a  meal  of  the  tender  growth  of  a  thrifty  sugar  or 
Norway  maple. 

While  the  destruction  of  the  more  recently  planted  trees  is  try- 
ing in  the  extreme,  the  reckless  mutilation  of  road-side  trees  outside 
the  city  limits  by  the  employes  of  the  several  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone companies  overshadows  every  other  line  of  destruction 

Some  of  the  finest  oaks,  elms  and  maples,  along  the  routes  occu- 
pied by  these  corporations'  wires  have  been  mutilated  and  disfigured 
beyond  measure,  while  some  specimens  have  been  so  nearly  ruined 
that  they  can  never  be  restored  to  any  degree  of  symmetry.  And 
what  is  the  remedy  ?  These  companies  have  acquired  their  fran- 
chise without  cost,  by  the  simple  application  to  City  Council  or 
Board  of  Selectmen,  for  leave  to  locate  their  poles  along  certain 
thoroughfares.  This  privilege  does  not  carry  with  it  the  right  to 
destroy  a  single  tree  that  may  come  in  their  way,  yet  the  employes 
invariably  get  in  their  deathly  work  before  they  are  discovered,  and 
their  would  be  prosecutors  are  unable  to  bring  them  to  justice. 

There  is  room  enough  in  the  world  both  for  the  trees  and  the 
wires ;  but  as  trees  do  not  root  in  the  air,  they  must  take  the  lower 
strata  in  the  premises,  while  the  telegraph  companies  by  using  fifty 
and  sixty  feet  poles  instead  of  those  only  thirty  to  thirty-five  feet 
in  height,  can  carry  their  wires  well  above  the  tops  of  the  average 
shade  or  roadside  trees  without  injury.  Any  branches  to  the  tree 
that  will  interfere  with  the  wire  of  that  height  can  safely  be  re- 
moved without  any  injury  to  the  tree  or  disfigurement  to  their 
symmetrical  proportions,  excepting,  however,  the  gigantic  elms  and 
oaks,  when  it  would  be  impracticable.  In  such  cases  the  use  of 
insulated  wires  will  overcome  the  difficulty.  United  and  decisive 
action  on  the  part  of  the  city  and  town  officials,  demanding  the  re- 
construction of  their  lines  on  higher  poles,  alone  will  prove  the 
remedy. 

While  much  has  been  done  of  late  in  this  embellishment  of  our 
streets  and  roadsides  with  shade  trees,  we  have  but  comparatively 
few  drives  of  any  great  length  that  have  become  prominent  for  their 
shade  attractiveness,  that  are  the  results  of  the  labor  of  our  public- 
spirited  and  tree-loving  citizens,  thirty  or  forty  years  ago. 

In  my  own  city,  and  I  refer  to  it  as  some  of  you  are  familiar  with 
the  situation,  I  recall  nothing  more  beautiful  and  effective  in  the 
way  of  roadside  ornamentation  than  the  double  rows  of  magnificent 
Norway  maples  that  over-arch  Lovell  street,  southerly  from  May 
street,  which  were  planted  by  our  esteemed  fellow-citizen,  0  B. 
Hadwen.  A  short  section  of  May  street  west  of  June  street  speaks 
words  of  living  praise  for  the  labor  of  the  Hartshorn  family  in  the 
planting  of  sugar  maples,  while  a  long  stretch  on  the  Grafton  road 
planted  with  the  American  white  ash,  perpetuates  the  memory  of 
the  late  Darius  Bice. 


We  take  much  pride  in  many  small  groups  of  trees  and  some 
magnificent  single  specimens  that  adorn  the  homes  and  roadsides  of 
our  rural  citizens,  but  we  cannot  point  to  a  single  mile  of  continu- 
ous shade  upon  any  suburban  road,  from  trees  of  twenty-five  or 
more  years  of  age.  It  is  to  encourage  this  roadside  embellishment 
by  the  preservation  and  planting  of  suitable  shade  trees  upon  the 
treeless  roads  that  has  prompted  the  consideration  of  this  subject 
to-day. 

While  I  have  been  greatly  impressed  with  the  grandeur  and  sub- 
limity of  the  natural  scenery  of  the  country  that  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  visit  and  ga::e  upon,  I  still  hold  in  high  veneration 
those  marked  features  of  the  landscape  where  the  work  of  nature 
has  been  supplemented  hy  the  hand  of  man  in  the  laying  out  of 
broad  avenues  and  the  planting  of  roadside  trees. 

What  is  it  that  most  impresses  the  visitor  to  our  rural  town  of 
Lancaster  ?  Nothing  more  nor  less  than  its  broad  central  avenues 
overarched  with  stately  elms,  planted  early  in  the  present  century. 

The  town  of  Shrewsbury  will  ever  revere  the  name  of  Harlow  and 
Hapgood,  who,  when  in  the  prime  of  life,  erected  their  own  monu- 
ment by  the  planting  of  those  rows  of  sugar  maples  that  now  at- 
tract the  attention  of  every  lover  of  nature.  "Yea,  verily  they 
cease  from  their  labors  but  their  works  do  follow  them." 

While  our  State  has  many  towns  whose  shade  trees  have  made 
them  famous  and  attractive,  the  work  of  street  embellishment  in 
Washington  City,  is  not  only  of  special  interest  but  of  great  magni- 
tude. During  a  period  of  ten  years,  over  20,000  shade  trees  were 
planted  on  the  streets  and  avenues,  and  as  many  more  in  the  parks 
and  reservations.  What  impresses  one  most  in  their  method  of 
planting  is  the  large  variety  of  trees  that  have  been  utilized. 
The  climate  in  that  locality  allows  the  utilization  of  many  trees 
that  are  not  indigenous  to  this  New  England  climate.  Certain  ave- 
nues are  planted  exclusively  with  one  variety  of  trees,  and  the  ef- 
fect is  most  pleasing.  The  perfectly  formed  and  evenly  rounded 
head  of  the  sugar  or  Norway  maples  on  certain  avenues,  while  the 
more  spreading  silver  niaple  type  characterizes  another.  The 
American  linden  furnisher  another  type  of  symmetrical  and  finely 
formed  trees.  The  tulip  or  white  wood  is  clean  and  shapely,  while 
the  gingko  or  maiden  hair,  furnishes  a  peculiarly  striking  foliage 
that  attracts  much  attention.  The  elms  are  used  in  some  cases 
where  space  will  allow.  The  Carolina  poplar  and  Negundo  maples 
were  planted  largely  at  first,  but  proved  very  unsatisfactory  after  a 
few  years  ;  the  Negundo  becoming  badly  infested  with  insects,  and 
the  poplar  becoming  sadly  disfigured  by  breakage. 

The  city  of  Boston  has  completed  a  broad  avenue  several  miles 
in  length  from  the  city  proper  to  "  Chestnut  Hill  Reservoir,"  in 
Brookline,  that  is  unequalled  by  any  drive  in  this  section  of  the 
country.  Its  distinctive  features  are  its  generous  width,  200  feet 
most  of  the  distance,  the  location  of  the  double  tracks  of  the  elec- 
tric railroad  system  in  the  center  of  the  avenue,  and  on  either  side 
of  these  tracks  rows  of  shade  trees  are  planted,  while  the  surface 
of  the  ground  is  well  turfed  with  grass.  An  equestrian  drive  comes 
next  to  the  railroad  location,  while  a  broad,  thoroughly  constructed 


roadbed  is  located  on  each  side  of  the  avenue  for  carriages.  Broad 
sidewalks  are  located  between  the  carriage  drives  and  the  boundary 
line,  and  here  again  rows  of  trees  are  planted,  the  whole  forming  a 
grand  colonnade  with  four  rows  of  trees  the  entire  length. 

This  is  Boston's  great  pleasure  drive  of  which  she  feels  justly 
proud. 

Cannot  other  cities  hope  to  possess  even  in  a  small  measure  such 
grand  features  in  their  system  of  roads  or  pleasure  drives? 

In  my  journey  through  California  a  few  years  ago  I  was  impressed 
with  the  interest  taken  there  in  this  roadside  tree  planting.  We 
found  at  San  Jose  a  broad  avenue  called  the  "  Alameda,"  leading  to 
Santa  Clara  three  miles  distant,  with  a  double  row  of  poplars  and 
willows.  These  were  planted  by  Jesuit  missionaries  over  one  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and,  although  we  cannot  approve  the  selection  of 
trees  for  durability,  they  are  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the  pio- 
neers in  tree  planting  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  At  Riverside  in  South- 
ern California  may  be  found  one  avenue,  the  Magnolia,  which  is 
nine  miles  in  length,  and  planted  the  entire  distance  with  huge 
palm  trees  on  each  side,  and  a  row  of  pepper  trees  in  the  centre. 

In  another  town,  Pomona  by  name,  the  leading  attraction  is  a 
broad  avenue  planted  with  two  rows  of  cypress  trees,  and  two  of 
the  Eucalyptus,  which  make  a  most  charming  effect. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  many  illustrations ;  time  will  not  allow 
the  mentioning  of  more. 

In  considering  the  question  of  the  improvement  of  public  grounds, 
it  is  not  my  purpose  to  touch  upon  the  work  of  the  landscape  gar- 
dener or  the  laying  out  and  embellishment  of  public  parks,  but  to 
advocate  a  certain  line  of  improvement  that  would  not  come  under 
their  province.  I  refer  to  the  land,  coming  within  the  boundary 
limits  of  our  highway  as  well  as  that  of  school-house  grounds.  It 
was  my  privilege  a  few  years  ago,  as  the  executive  officer  of  the 
Massachusetts  State  Grange,  to  recommend  the  observance,  by 
the  subordinate  granges  of  the  state,  of  a  fixed  day  in  the  early 
part  of  the  month  of  May  as  Arbor  Day ;  and  in  addition  to  the 
planting  of  fruit  and  ornamental  trees  around  the  home,  and  trees 
for  shade  and  shelter  along  the  roadsides,  I  urged  the  importance  of 
cleaning  the  grounds  around  the  buildings  and  along  the  roadsides 
of  all  useless  underbrush,  stones,  stumps  or  any  other  unsightly  ob- 
jects, and  then  grade  the  same  and  seed  it  down  to  grass.  It  is 
gratifying  to  note  how  much  interest  was  manifested  in  this  work 
in  many  towns,  and  what  great  improvements  were  made  through 
this  united,  as  well  as  individual,  effort. 

1  am  aware  that  many  will  assert  that  this  kind  of  work  does 
not  pay  or  that  the  activities  of  farming  life  will  not  allow  time 
for  any  such  improvements.  No  one  would  urge  any  neglect  of 
their  duties  that  at  many  seasons  of  the  year  become  imperative, 
but  there  are  many  broken  days  or  partially  rainy  days  in  the  course 
of  the  year,  and  even  between  the  busy  seasons,  that  can  be  de- 
voted bo  this  work  if  one  is  so  disposed. 

Have  this  roadside  improvement  as  one  object  in  view  that  shall 
have  a  few  days'  attention  every  year,  and  in  ten  years  from  now 
the  suburban  roads  of  this  state  would  show  a  most  wonderful  and 
pleasing  transformation. 


7 

"  Will  this  work  be  appreciated  ?"  may  be  asked.  There  cer- 
tainly is  no  negative  answer  to  this  question.  The  number  of 
owners  of  teams  for  pleasure  driving  is  increasing  largely  every 
year.  .  This  driving  is  not  confined  to  our  busy  thoroughfares,  or  the 
main  roads  that  have  been  sacrificed  to  the  traffic  of  the  horse  or 
electric  railway  systems.  These  are  being  largely  avoided  and  re- 
sort is  taken  to  the  rural  drives,  of  which  no  state  can  boast  of 
more  charming  ones,  or  a  grander  or  more  diversified  landscape. 

It  appears  from  the  early  records  of  my  native  city  of  Worcester, 
that  in  the  year  1783  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  town  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"Whereas,  a  number  of  persons  have  manifested  a  disposition  to 
set  out  trees  for  shade,  near  the  meeting  house  and  elsewhere  about 
the  town,  and  the  town  being  very  desirous  of  encouraging  such  a 
measure,  which  will  be  beneficial  as  well  as  ornamental,  voted — 
that  any  person  being  an  inhabitant  of  this  town  who  shall  injure 
or  destroy  such  trees  so  set  out  shall  pay  a  fine  not  exceeding  twenty 
shillings  for  every  offense,  to  the  use  of  the  poor." 

The  attention  given  to  street  ornamentation,  inaugurated  over  a 
century  ago,  continued  in  later  years  by  men  who  were  the  founders 
and  promoters  of  the  Worcester  County  Horticultural  Society,  the 
Lincoln  family  for  three  generations  most  prominent  of  all,  has 
given  us  for  enjoyment  the  refreshing  shade  of  our  Common  and 
the  streets  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

The  authorities  in  charge  of  the  highways  in  the  cities  and 
towns  are  doing  more  each  year  to  improve  the  roadbeds  in  every  di- 
rection. It  now  remains  for  the  owners  of  land  bordering  on  these 
highways  to  supplement  this  work  by  improvement  of  the  roadside, 
the  planting  and  preservation  of  our  shade-trees,  and  thus  add  to 
the  attractiveness,  enjoyment  and  general  prosperity  of  an  appre- 
ciative community. 

Some  of  our  railroad  corporations  are  setting  us  a  good  example 
in  the  way  they  are  utilizing  the  vacant  land  around  the  stations  by 
planting  trees,  vines  and  shrubs  in  a  most  attractive  manner,  and 
the  travelling  public  are  certainly  enjoying  the  grand  improvement. 

In  the  matter  of  — 

SCHOOL-HOUSE  GROUNDS 

a  few  suggestions  may  be  offered,  as  it  comes  within  the  province 
of  the  question  under  consideration. 

The  suggestions  made  for  Arbor  Day  observance,  already  al- 
luded to,  while  intended  more  especially  for  the  towns  in  the  State 
where  Granges  were  organized,  found  no  heartier  support  than  in 
my  own  city.  It  was  very  gratifying  to  me  to  be  invited  to  ad- 
dress a  meeting  of  the  school  teachers  of  Worcester  upon  this  sub- 
ject, giving  hints  and  suggestions  that  might  aid  them  in  their 
work.  It  was  still  more  pleasing  to  note  the  interest  taken  by  so 
many  of  the  teachers  and  scholars  in  the  initiative  work  of  plant- 
ing the  shade-trees,  vines  and  shrubs  within  so  many  of  the  school- 
yard enclosures  in  this  city. 

The  predictions  of  those  who  doubted  the  expediency  of  such  an 


undertaking,  and  predicted  the  certain  demolition  of  every  vestige 
of  plant-life,  the  first  season,  have  not  proved  true,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  those  trees  and  shrubs  that  the  pupils  had  planted  with 
their  own  hands,  or  had  secured  by  their  own  efforts  either  by  pur- 
chase, solicitation  or  contribution,  were  guarded  with  a  care  and  in- 
terest that  has  been  most  commendable.  The  class-tree  that  adorns 
the  grounds  of  nearly  every  one  of  our  colleges  and  other  institu- 
tions of  learning,  some  that  have  stood  for  half  a  century  or  more, 
are  held  in  sacred  veneration  by  the  graduates  of  those  institutions 
ever  afterwards. 

Who  shall  say  that  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  primary  and  inter- 
mediate schools  who  have  aided  in  the  planting  of  their  class-trees 
will  not  ever  after  cherish  pleasant  recollections  of  this  chapter  of 
their  school-day  life,  and  also  that  these  early  impressions  will  lead 
to  higher  appreciation  of  the  value  of  trees  for  shade  or  shelter,  and 
closer  acquaintance  with  the  numberless  varieties  of  plants,  shrubs, 
vines  or  flowers  that  are  adding  so  much  to  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  mankind,  whether  planted  in  garden  or  park,  or  growing  in 
their  natural  wildness  and  beauty  on  roadside  or  in  woodland  or 
forest. 

We  are  cognizant  of  the  fact  that  our  school-yards  are  limited  in 
space  and  but  little  can  be  spared  for  this  work,  but  is  it  asking  too 
much  that  one-tenth  of  the  area  be  appropriated  to  this  work  ? 
And  all  this  space  can  be  taken  in  the  borders  or  in  the  corners  so 
as  not  to  interfere  with  the  playground,  for  no  one  would  interfere 
with  all  that  is  necessary  to  develop  the  physical  nature  and  the 
enjoyment  of  our  outdoor  games  and  pastimes.  The  open  space 
allowed  for  this  exercise  and  pleasure  can  be  made  much  more  en- 
joyable if  protected  by  suitable  shade  which  can  be  secured  in  a 
large  measure  by  planting  trees  around  and  near  the  border-line  of 
the  enclosure  ;  and  as  these  trees  will  take  room  above  the  heads  of 
the  children,  their  available  area  for  sport  is  not  diminished  in  the 
least.  If  a  strip  varying  in  width  from  five  to  ten  feet  along  the 
borders,  or  in  close  proximity  to  the  building,  can  be  taken  for  the 
dwarf  growing  trees  and  flowering  shrubs,  a  most  pleasing  effect 
can  be  produced  and  the  large  variety  to  select  from  that  are  indig- 
enous to  this  climate  will  afford  a  choice  assortment  of  color  in 
flower  and  leaf  and  coutinvial  bloom  during  the  season. 

We  have  reason  to  take  pride  in  our  finely  constructed  school- 
idings,  their  pleasing  architectural  design  and  effect,  their  loca- 
1  and  adaptability  for  instructive  purposes. 

jet  us  hope  that  the  work  so  happily  inaugurated  in  our  State 
rmal  Schools  of  embellishing  the  grounds  around  them  may  con- 
le,  and  that  the  inspiration  of  their  Arbor  Day  observance  may 
»ve  lasting,  so  that  teachers  who  graduate  therefrom,  as  well  as 
)se  now  in  the  service,  may  be  earnestly  devoted  to  their  noble 
rk  till  every  schoolyard  shall  be  made  to  possess,  in  small  meas- 
3  at  least,  these  attractive  surroundings  that  conduce  to  the 
eater  refinement  and  higher  moral  sentiment  of  our  children. 


